


Escapades

by Cobalt_Grey



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Seven Kingdoms AU - Fandom, The Tangled Series - Fandom, Varian and the Seven Kingdoms, Varian and the Seven Kingdoms AU - Fandom
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boy's gotta confront his feeling eventually, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Fluff and Angst, Frenemies, Hugo learns his lesson the hard way, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Nuru is savage, Olivia being adorable, Other, Varian is mom friend, Violence, Yong is baby, soft, sort of Varigo but not really, we need some fluff up in dis hospital
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:27:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26564350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cobalt_Grey/pseuds/Cobalt_Grey
Summary: As much as Varian wanted to be mad, the truth was, he was worried as hell. Hugo had slipped off the night prior when the rest of the team was busy setting up camp- that was normal- but now it was near time to pack up and be on their way to the next town, and Hugo was still not back. That was not normal.(aka our snarky boi keeps getting himself into trouble)
Relationships: Donella & Hugo (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo & Cheese (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo & Nuru & Varian & Yong (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo & Olivia (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo & Quirin & Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo & Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 53





	1. Late

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooooo, I guess this is officially my first fic! In fact, I got and Ao3 account just to post it. I have a bad habit of not finishing these sort of things, so I didn't want to put this here until I could be sure it would be completed, which would only happen once it was, ya know, already done. But it is done now, so I can start releasing it a chapter at a time via Ao3! Yay! (Shout out to the Varian and the Seven Kingdoms Discord server who I released this to as I went. I definitely needed the feedback to stay motivated to keep writing this this, so thank you!)

Hugo was nowhere to be found at the camp… again.

_ It’s probably fine _ , Varian would keep telling himself, _ he’ll show back up again, like he always does, and this time, we’re going to have a serious talk. _

Hugo was hardly a team player, and had expressed numerous times how he didn't intend to be, but this was getting ridiculous. Whether Hugo liked it or not, he would have to realize that he  _ was _ on a team, and that meant he couldn’t keep running off without a word like this.

It wouldn’t be such a problem if it weren’t for the fact that Hugo  _ never  _ notified the team when he left and  _ never _ mentioned where he was going or what trouble he intended to get in that time. All Varian, Nuru, and Yong could do was wait until he showed back up, either with his arm around his latest one-night-stand or with purple and green bruises marking his freckled cheekbones. 

No more. This time, Varian wasn’t gonna let him get away with it scott free. Varian had never gotten along with that smug con-artist, but he’d be damned if he was gonna let Hugo continue his self-destructive habits.

* * *

As much as Varian wanted to be mad, the truth was, he was worried as hell. Hugo had slipped off the night prior when the rest of the team was busy setting up camp- that was normal- but now it was near time to pack up and be on their way to the next town, and Hugo was still not back.  _ That  _ was not normal. 

Varian had never been good about hiding his anxiety, always rubbing his arm or repeating phrases to himself, all of which he was doing excessively at the moment. He was so caught up in his thoughts, he was almost startled when Nuru placed a hand on his shoulder from behind. 

“Hey. I’m sure it’s fine,” she reassured, “You know how he is. If he’s still not back in half an hour, we’ll go look in town.”

Varian turned to look at her, letting a deep breath in and out. He really did need to calm down. Looking at her face, he realized tha Nuru herself was probably more concerned than she was letting on. Nuru butt heads with Hugo more often than even Varian did, and it was no secret that the princess didn’t trust the scheming alchemist, but Varian also knew that she cared more than Hugo was likely aware. Still, Nuru maintained a poise in her distress that must’ve come from being the public figure that she is. She always remained optimistic, and was better at ruling out worry with logic than Varian. 

Hugo was annoying and cocky and a constant pain in the neck, but no one on the team wanted to see him get hurt.

Nuru gave Varian a small smile, which he returned. 

“He’s just never been  _ this  _ late before,” he explained.

“Yeah,” Yong piped in as he finished getting ready and walked up to the two to join their conversation, “It’s almost time to go now, and Hugo usually gets back before sunrise.”

“Nuru, what if the reason he’s not back is because he’s in some kind of trouble he can’t get out of?” Varian couldn’t shake the feeling that something could be seriously wrong, “If he’s hurt, we shouldn’t be wasting time waiting around. We should be looking for him.”

Nuru seemed to consider this, her eyebrows creased worriedly, but ultimately, she looked back up and said in that reasonable, diplomatic way of her’s, “He knows what time we’re leaving. If he’s actually fine, he’ll come here looking for us and be confused if we’ve gone. We should stay at least a few more minutes. Then we look. Ok?”

Varian nodded. He could wait a few more minutes. After that, either Hugo would show up in time or they would hunt him down themselves and drag him back by his ear. 

The more Varian thought about it, the more frustrated he became.  _ What makes Hugo think he can just do this? Why does he have to keep getting himself into dangerous situations? It’d be one thing if we could be there to keep him from getting hurt, but he  _ insists  _ on keeping his little escapades a secret!  _ Varian could feel his face becoming hot with anger. He hated being so mad, but Hugo made it quite the challenge  _ not _ to be. What would he turn up with this time? A broken arm? A bloodied nose? __

Varian was  _ so  _ done with being stressed. He rubbed his tired face with his hands and sighed. 

_ If he gets himself killed,  _ he thought with finality, _ I’m gonna murder him!  _

* * *

Hugo was late.  _ Shit. _ He may have avoided getting in trouble for running off before, but he doubted he’d be so lucky this time. It wasn’t like it was  _ his  _ fault. Well, this time it was, but  _ normally  _ it was because Donella kept giving him these stupid side missions. She trusted his ability to get jobs done a little too much, seeming to forget that he currently had three other children breathing down his neck that he had to slip away from every time she had a new assignment for him. She could only ask so much of him before his cover was blown.

Fortunately, he had a consistent and believable cover- that he’d gone into town and hooked up with some stranger for the night. This was especially effective because, oftentimes, it was the truth. The only problem was that he needed the team to be unable to decipher the difference between when he was telling the truth and when he was lying, which was becoming increasingly difficult as his assignments became more and more risky. If he kept returning to camp with new injuries, they’d stop believing him entirely. In fact, he suspected this was already the case. The best he could manage was wearing plenty of clothing- a long sleeved jacket with a high collar, fingerless gloves, even his bangs could cover up damage to an extent- but it was not enough.

He knew he’d been pushing his luck with them, and this time, he was surely about to get an earful.

As he approached the spot of their camp at last, he could already hear the dreaded rambling from Varian about how he was going to “tie Hugo to Prometheus for the rest of the trip” if he had to.

_ Oh boy. Here we go. _

Hugo let out a sigh and stepped through the brush and into the clearing.

“Looks like he’s not dead after all!” said perhaps his least favorite person.

“No, I’m not dead, Nuru. Thanks for your gracious concern,” Hugo didn't care that Nuru was ever-increasingly pissed at him. It was Varian whom Hugo needed to tolerate him, so it was Varian he’d “apologize” to and no one else if he could help it. 

“Ugh,” Nuru huffed at his sarcasm. He  _ really  _ didn’t like her, which was only fair because she obviously didn’t like him, so he ignored her display of frustration.

Varian turned around from the materials he was packing. If the knife-sharp glare didn’t give away the shorter alchemist’s mood, the red hue to his face certainly did.  _ That  _ wasn’t a good sign. 

Hugo prepared for the worst.

“Where have you been?” 

The question was simple. So was the answer. But Hugo had a feeling it wouldn’t be enough to save him from the coming storm.

“In town. Stayed with this girl I met at the bar. _Look_ , I just overslept, ok? It won’t happen again! Let’s just move out to the next town.”

As Hugo had suspected, the ball-of-fury before him was not satisfied by this. 

“And how am I supposed to believe that?” 

“What do you mean?” Hugo asked as if he was offended at the implied accusation.

Varian’s eyes narrowed, “I think you know exactly what I mean!”

Just as he’d thought, he’d finally run out of luck. His injuries had indeed not gone unnoticed by the rest of the crew. 

“You can’t keep doing this, Hugo,” Varian continued, “You’re always disappearing on us without warning. We have  _ no  _ idea where you are until you show up the next day.  _ Then _ , you act as if nothing has happened, even when it’s obvious you’ve gotten into some kind of fight. You keep brushing it off, expecting us to respect your privacy and not ask any questions, which we’ve  _ done  _ for the most part, but this has gotten out of hand. You’ve made it pretty clear that you’re not a team player, but now it’s affecting more than just you. Do you know that we were just about to go into town looking for you? Whether you like it or not, we need you  _ here, _ or else we need to know where to find you. Got that?”

_ Uuuuugh. _ Hugo had stopped listening about half-way through that crap. He just wanted to move on from this so that this long con- far  _ too _ long, in his opinion- could be over and done with as soon as possible. He had _ told _ Donella he doesn’t  _ do  _ teamwork _.  _ She hadn’t listened.

“Yeah, fine. But just for the record, I really  _ was _ staying with a girl,” he asserted.

Varian squinted at Hugo like he was searching for something. Maybe he was analyzing his face for any new marks to give him away for lying. Fortunately for Hugo, he happened to be telling the truth this time, and Varian found no such evidence.

“Stop. Running. Off.” Varian demanded. 

Boy, did Hugo hate being told what to do, but he figured if he just nodded, Goggles would lay off.

“Got it,” Hugo agreed, knowing he was probably lying.


	2. The Walking Hazard to Society

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yong is group counselor today

A bunch of  _ busybodies  _ is what  _ they  _ were. Overly concerned with Hugo’s personal business. He knew they didn’t  _ actually _ care if he was fine or not. He knew how the world worked. They were using him just as much as he was using them. 

They  _ needed  _ his skills. That was the only reason he’d been allowed to join them in the first place, and it was the only reason they cared if he lived or died. No Hugo, no totems, no library. It was just  _ business _ . So what did they care where he went and what he did if he always came back? Hugo always showed for the trials and this was the  _ only _ instance that his shenanigans had ever made him late! So what’s the big deal?

Hugo aggressively stuffed his last unfolded shirt into his bag as he mentally ranted.

_ They have the nerve to pretend like they care, _ he rolled his eyes,  _ What a joke! They should just mind their own business. _

He secured his luggage to Prometheus a little tighter than was necessary.

“Are we all ready to go, then?” Varian asked the group, though it was more bitterly directed at Hugo. Hugo had been the last of them to get packed due to his tardiness that morning, and  _ apparently  _ Varian had still not gotten over it.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The group walked on. Varian began chatting with Nuru as she navigated. Yong skipped beside Varian, holding the alchemist’s hand. 

Hugo trudged along a few feet behind them all.

The sun was at its peak in the sky by this point, and it would be dark by the time they set up camp that night. 

_ Great _ . Hugo hated walking so much. He hated the  _ bugs _ , the fucking  _ sun,  _ he hated pissing in the  _ woods  _ where there were more _ bugs  _ and  _ why didn’t any of these stupid kingdoms have the toilet anyways _ ? The Iron kingdom’s been using them for years, there’s no excuse! 

Hugo hated this  _ whole  _ mission and  _ especially  _ the people he now had to work with. All of it was outside his comfort zone and Donella just _ had  _ to send him anyway.  _ “Oh I don’t want them knowing anyone else is involved, meeeeeh! _ ” she had said, or at least something along those lines and probably not as wimpy as Hugo had reiterated in his head.

If you were to look in Hugo’s direction now, you might imagine a little storm cloud perched over his head. 

Yong did just that. 

Upon noticing his sour-faced friend, the boy released Varian’s hand and slowed his pace until he fell into stride at Hugo’s left. Hugo took one large step to the right.

“Hi,” Yong greeted.

Hugo eyed him suspiciously. He had no reason to distrust Yong, but he didn’t like children, and this particular child had a habit of being particularly exhausting. Hugo  _ definitely _ wasn’t gonna make it ‘till that night if he had this kid chatting his ear off the entire time.

“I’m not gonna hold your hand, just so you know.” 

Hugo wasn’t going to babysit. He’d leave that to Varian, the one who let this walking hazard to society join the team in the first place.

“I wasn’t gonna ask you to,” Yong huffed, “I just wanna talk and Varian and Nuru are busy navigating.”

“Mhm,” Hugo looked off into nothing, already prepared to zone out for the duration of whatever this kid wanted to ramble about next.

But to his surprise, the kid in question was silent for a long while, making a concentrated face, like he was deciding what to say. 

Finally, Yong began, “So… where  _ do  _ you keep going off to?”

_ Oh, brother. Not this conversation again.  _

Hugo sighed, “I already told you guys, I was just with some girl.”

“Well yeah, maybe  _ this  _ time, but I’ve seen you come back all beat up before. If some girl is really doing that to you, you shouldn’t be hanging out with her, but I doubt that’s the case.”

“What do you care? Like I  _ keep _ saying, It’s none of your business.”

“Well, yes it is my business!” the shorter boy asserted confidently, “You’re my friend!”

Oh boy, this kid was naive. 

“We’re not friends, Yong. We’re  _ teammates.” _

“Shouldn’t those be the same thing?”

“ _ No.” _

“Why not?”

“Because they’re  _ not.” _

“But  _ why?” _

“OH. MY. GOD. YONG. Why are you so  _ nosy?” _

_ Jeez, _ this kid was getting on his nerves. There was silence for another moment. After it went on a bit long, Hugo worried that he had made the kid cry.  _ Ah, shit.  _ If he had done that, he wouldn't hear the end of it from Nuru and Varian. It wasn’t  _ his _ fault the kid was so pushy and sensitive.

Hugo looked down to check. 

Not crying _\- thank God-_ but he did appear distressed, so before distress could turn into tears, Hugo spoke, “Hey, seriously kid, what’s the matter with me going from time to time? It’s not like it affects you.”

“It’s scary,” Yong’s voice was quiet. 

The answer confused Hugo. He’d never gotten the kid into any danger with his antics. What did  _ he  _ have to be scared of?

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, sometimes you come back hurt. It makes me think you must be doing something dangerous when you’re gone. What if, next time, you get hurt  _ really  _ bad?” 

Yong looked up at Hugo with glossy eyes and sniffed. Was he really  _ that  _ worried?

“Hey, I always get out fine. It’s nothing to cry over.”

That only seemed to upset Yong even more. 

“Cuts and bruises are  _ not _ fine! Stop acting like it’s not a big deal!”

Hugo really didn’t think it  _ was _ a big deal, but the kid obviously did.

“Umm… ok then. I’ll, uh, be more careful next time.” 

Yong didn’t look like he believed Hugo, but it seemed to get him to calm down enough. 

They were silent the rest of the walk, and Hugo was left to his thoughts, not even noticing when the boy beside him grabbed his hand.


	3. Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nuru is a tough teacher

As expected, it was dark by the time the group began unfastening their belongings from Prometheus and preparing for the night. Varian got a fire started with Yong as Nuru and Hugo constructed the tents.

Hugo was having a particularly difficult time with his. He could never seem to get it right despite being on the road for months now. Hugo frustratedly hammered at a stake that just wouldn’t drive into the ground when his entire structure suddenly toppled over and the pole bonked him on the head, nearly knocking off his glasses. He groaned and straightened his spectacles.

“You need help?” Nuru approached, having already finished her tent... and two others. 

“ _ No,” _ he snapped. The last thing he wanted was to let Her Magesty show  _ him _ how to put up a tent.

“How do you know how to do this anyways?” 

Nuru shrugged, “My family camps outside a lot during kingdom-wide stargazing events.

“Oh.”

Hugo glared at his heap of disassembled tent parts. He  _ really _ didn’t want to ask for help, but frankly, he was too tired to be stubborn about it.

“Alright. How do you do this?” he relented.

Nuru picked up a sheet, “Well,  _ first  _ you have to lay this down straight.” 

Nuru continued to walk him through the steps until there was a complete tent before him.

“Nice,” he got up to walk inside, finding himself grateful to the princess for once.

But before he could make it through the opening, Nuru shoved the pole and knocked the entire thing to the ground. 

Hugo gaped, “What the  _ fuck? _ ”

“Now try it on your own.”

Hugo could only gawk at her smug little face, “Are you kidding me?”

Nuru chuckled, “Absolutely not. You can’t have someone else set up your tent for you every time. You’ve got to learn to do it yourself eventually, and now’s as good a time as any.”

Hugo narrowed his eyes.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. I’m trying to help you. Just reconstruct it like I showed you and you’ll be done in no time. I’ll let you know if you’re doing it wrong.”

Oh, how Hugo could not  _ stand  _ her, but he supposed he had no choice now, so he begrudgingly got to work on setting his shelter back up.

* * *

The woods were silent except for the chirping crickets and Hugo’s occasional grumbles of frustration. Varian and Yong had just gone to bed, but Nuru still sat patiently beside Hugo as he continued to grapple with a  _ nearly _ finished tent. 

For the first time since he began the assembly on his own, Nuru spoke up, “Hey, Hugo.” 

“Yeah?” Hugo responded distractedly.

“About this morning-”

“Oh, not you too!” Hugo threw his head back and pouted, “Just for the record, I already got a lecture from both Varian  _ and _ Yong, so I don’t need another one. You’ll have to make an appointment for another day.”

“Yeah, well the thing is,” Nuru continued, ignoring his dramatics, “as much as you  _ say  _ you won’t do it again, I’m not so convinced that you mean it.”

“And so what if I don’t?”

“Hugo, I don’t understand why everything has to be a joke to you.”

Hugo didn’t look at her, electing to remain focused on his task.

“Don’t worry your royal behind, Princess,” he said bitterly, “It’s not your problem.”

“Hugo, I don’t know what your problem with me is, but you seem to be under the impression that I don’t care what happens to you. I do.”

Hugo had completed his tent by now, but he only sat there and absentmindedly pet Olivia.

“Yeah, right,” he said, but his voice didn't have the conviction he would’ve liked it to.

“I  _ do. _ You come back hurt almost every time that you leave. The time before last, your glasses were bent and your lip was busted. It makes me wonder what else you’re hiding.”

Hugo laughed, “Ah, so  _ that’s _ it. You’re not concerned about  _ me, _ you just wanna know what secrets I’m keeping that could affect  _ you.  _ How considerate.”

“That’s not what I meant, Hugo! I was  _ referring  _ to what other  _ injuries  _ you might be hiding. All I can  _ see  _ is your face, but for all I know, you’ve got a broken arm or rib, as well! And the fact that you’re hiding it means you can’t be taking care of it properly.”

Hugo didn’t speak. She wasn’t  _ wrong.  _ He  _ had  _ hidden a broken bone once or twice, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. He hadn’t thought it was a big deal anyways.

Apparently, Nuru wasn’t done with her speech, but her voice had softened into one of compassion.

“When you run around in secret, you keep us from being able to help you. I’ll never understand why you do that, but it’s seriously worrying. I know I can’t make you cut it out, but I’m still asking you to. We’re all worried about you, you idiot.”

She may have insulted him in that last part, but strangely, it had no malice in it. Hugo couldn’t understand why. Didn’t she loathe him? She had been trying to convince Varian that he was untrustworthy from the start, and Hugo certainly hadn’t given her reasons like him. So why did she seem legitimately concerned? 

Hugo wasn’t really sure what to say, so he said nothing.

Nuru sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Goodnight, Hugo.”

She stood up silently and left for her own tent, leaving Hugo to his own perplexion.


	4. Goggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian still has super-villain vibes

Hugo waited until midnight to slip away, when he was sure the rest of the camp was sound asleep. He had yet another check in with his mother-figure that night. This time, he’d have to ask her to cut down on the pleasant little side quests. They were becoming far more trouble than they were worth.

He crept from his tent, satchel in hand. He set his feet down gently with each step to avoid crunching leaves. As he approached the edge of the clearing, where the shadow-engulfed woods began, he reached into his bag and brought out a small vile. 

When he shook the vile, it began to glow with a soft green hue that subtly lit the area around him. Hugo turned back to the woods and started forwards, only to nearly jump out of his skin when he saw a figure standing before him.

“GAH!” Hugo must’ve leaped back several feet as he stumbled for his footing.

“And where do you think you’re going?” said a now illuminated Varian, looking very ominous and _very_ cross. 

“ _Jesus Christ!”_ Hugo gripped his heart, “Why are you hiding in the woods? What are you, some kind of serial killer?”

Varian crossed his arms,“To answer your first question, I’m here to stop _you_ from getting into trouble again. And you don’t have to be so dramatic, you’ll wake up the entire camp. Now you answer _my_ question: where are you going?”

“I’m just going to take a piss, _Jeez_.” Hugo lied. Varian, however, had never seemed more unconvinced.

“Is that so? Well then, I think I’ll come with to keep an eye on you.”

“So you’re gonna watch me piss? That’s creepy.”

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I-” If Hugo could properly see Varian’s face, he was sure it would be completely red. It was so easy to get him flustered. “I MEANT I’D BE _NEARBY_ , NOT- I _just-_ UGH, forget it! The bottom line is: I don’t believe you and you’re not going anywhere!”

“Uhhh, you’re not my mom,” Hugo put plainly, for his _actual_ mother was the one who’d instructed him to sneak off in the first place. “And you don’t have to be so dramatic, Varian. You’ll wake up the entire camp,” he smiled smugly.

Varian looked like he could strangle Hugo, and the smile faltered. Hugo guessed being a smart-alek wasn’t getting him anywhere, so he tried another approach.

“Ok, ok. You got me! I was just going into town to go to a bar. I’ll be back in a few hours,” he moved to step past Varian but was blocked by the shorter boy.

“And what if you _don’t_ come back?”

“Uhh… check the bars?”

He moved again, and this time managed to pass Varian, but the boy grabbed the strap of his satchel before he could get far.

“And what if you’re not _there_?”

Hugo sighed. Nothing could be easy, could it? With one swift movement, he pulled a second vial out of his bag, a spherical one this time, and threw the compound at the shorter alchemist’s feet. Upon impact, it burst into a mountain of pink goo which kept the boy stuck in place.

“Hey!” he exclaimed.

“That’s what you get for being a busybody,” Hugo smirked, “Like I said, I’ll be back in a few.”

The entrapped teen struggled pointlessly to get himself free of the goop.

“Wait, Hugo!” he sounded distressed as Hugo began to walk away, “Just tell me where you’re going!”

The taller boy paused and turned around, “Well, isn’t that the question of the day?”

By now, the anger had left Varian’s voice, and he only sounded desperate, “Look, Hugo, I’m sorry! I just don’t understand why you won’t tell us! We want to know if you’re safe, that’s all!”

 _We’re all worried about you, you idiot._

Nuru’s words from earlier that day echoed in the back of Hugo’s mind.  
 _Well, yes it is my business! You’re my friend!_

Yong had been concerned, too.

Was that it, then? Was Varian worried about him? That morning, Hugo had thought this was all just about the trials, but maybe… maybe he was wrong. Maybe Varian wasn’t angry. Maybe he was just scared for Hugo. Maybe these new people in his life really cared- cared as he snuck off and conspired to betray them behind their backs...

Hugo shook away these thoughts. He wouldn’t have any guilt setting in. That would only be a nuisance. These people weren’t his _friends_ . If they thought they were, that was _their_ mistake. 

_And besides,_ Hugo reassured himself, _They_ don’t _care. They never did, and you shouldn’t let their act fool you. Snap out of it, Hugo! You’re smarter than this!_

But nothing he could say to himself would be fully convincing when he dared a look into Varian’s eyes. They were glossy and pleading, full of nothing but concern, and when he spoke again, his voice wavered.

“What if you don’t come back?” 

Hugo looked away.

“How do we find you?” Varian continued, “How do we know if you’re hurt? How do we know if you’re even dead or alive?”

The silence stretched on as Varian waited for an answer, but Hugo knew he couldn’t give one even if he wanted to. Did he want to? He shouldn’t, but…

 _Damnit! Why did everyone on this team have to be so difficult?_ In an instant, confusion morphed into frustration. Hugo’s expression turned sour. _Couldn’t they just leave him be? This is why he never wanted to be here in the first place!_

“Hugo?” 

Hugo was suddenly brought back to reality to find that Varian was searching his eyes.

Frustration became anger. _Did he have to try and dissect Hugo’s thoughts and feelings at every turn? Did he have to stick his nose in Hugo’s business? Couldn’t he just butt out!_

Hugo recoiled and yanked the satchel strap from Varian’s hands. 

“I _said_ I’ll be back in a few hours,” he spoke bitterly, and stormed off into the dark, refusing to look back to where he’d see the hurt on Varian’s face.


	5. Mr. Wackadoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hugo gets himself stuck in some deep shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so this is where we get into some violence. Torture is implied to occur after the events of this chapter, but nothing shown. I pretty much skip over that with because I don't like to get *too* dark. Skip to bottom notes for a run-through if you choose not to read this chapter.

“I’ll be back in a few,” Hugo had said, but how long was that?

The goo trap had worn off after 2 hours. Hugo hadn’t returned.

After 4 hours, Varian had to wonder what Hugo’s idea of “a few” was. If this was it, it certainly didn’t line up with his ideas.

After 6, Varian tried to get some sleep. He only managed to lay on his side, feeling his heart beat heavily with suspense. He stared into nothing as his eyes grew tired, but at no point would they shut.

After 8 hours, the sun had risen and the rest of the camp began awakening. Hugo was not among them. 

After 10, it was the same routine as the day before, with Varian’s relentless hand-wringing and Nuru’s failed attempts at reassurance. Varian’s breakfast grew cold, untouched by the pacing alchemist.

After 12 hours, it was midday. Still no Hugo in sight.

“I shouldn’t have confronted him,” Varian replayed the events of the previous night over and over in his mind, finding himself regretting every last action on his part, “I don’t think it helped. I think it just drove him away even more.”

“He would’ve left anyway. It’s not your fault,” said Nuru, ever the voice of reason, but Varian wasn’t put at ease.

“We need to go look for him,” Varian stressed. Nuru remained composed, but solemnly agreed with him. Yong nodded as well. 

“Where should we look first?” Yong asked.

Varian thought for a moment. He doubted they’d have much luck with this, but it was the best suggestion he had, “Let’s check the bars first.”

* * *

Hugo awoke tied to a chair. That was almost certainly not a good thing. How did he get here, again? His scrambled mind tried to process its surroundings. He twisted in his seat to get a better look at the room around him. It was dark and near-bare, except for a few awfully intimidating  _ tools _ in the corner.  _ Oh shit. _

He’d really gotten himself into the thick of it this time. He mentally retraced the events leading up to this, trying to decipher just what had landed him in that chair. 

Donella. She’d given him an assignment- an intelligence mission. He was meant to break in, uncover and memorize some crooked wackjob’s new chemical formula, and relay it back to Donella. He wasn’t sure what the formula was for, but it must’ve been important, because, apparently, Mr. Wackadoo was not about to let Hugo leave with it alive. 

Hugo didn’t normally get caught, but he did know how to handle these kinds of situations- that didn’t mean it would be any more pleasant. He’d only had a brief encounter with the man holding him hostage upon his capture, but Hugo could tell by the crazed look in his eye that this guy was the sadistic type. He was going to kill Hugo the moment he got what he wanted, so Hugo would just have to keep his mouth shut until either he managed to bust himself out or Donella sent someone to do it, which would probably take days, maybe longer. Oh boy, was he not looking forward to this.

Hugo looked up and prayed to whoever was listening that his pretty face might be spared from any permanent damage. The scar on his eyebrow was cool and all, but he’d rather not acquire any new ones.  _ As a side note, _ he added,  _ it’d be preferable that I not lose any appendages, please. _

Suddenly, the door burst open, making Hugo jump. The sadist himself marched in, seething and red as a tomato from head to toe. Hugo’s heartbeat quickened as the man rapidly approached, wasting no time.

The man leaned in, far too close for comfort. He gripped the chair on either side of Hugo’s shoulders, forcing the boy to look into eyes overflowing with rage.

“Who sent you?” Hugo could practically feel the white-hot anger emanating off of this man. His eyes glared daggers straight into Hugo’s green ones.

“You reek, you know that, Hothead?” Hugo quipped. The thief knew he shouldn’t have said that if he knew what was good for him, but frankly, he couldn’t help it. The nut job really did smell, with the stench of sweat and blood, and Hugo rather didn’t appreciate it so close to his nose. The source of said stench, however, was clearly not sympathetic nor amused. 

“That’s not what I asked you,” said the man, who proceeded to forcefully grab Hugo’s hair and lean in even closer until Hugo could feel rotten breath on his ear. 

“Who sent you?” he repeated, hand already clenched into a fist.

This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone skipped the chapter because of the implied violence, all you need to know is that Hugo did not show up at camp the next day, so the gang gets worried and decides to look for him. Hugo got himself caught by a dangerous person he was assigned to steal from by Donella. This person is referred to as "Mr. Wackadoo" by Hugo. Mr. Wackadoo proceeds to threaten Hugo with torture if he does not confess who he's working for.


	6. A Convenient Companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia is being "helpful!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of torture in this chapter. No torture is described, but a pain and few injuries are mentioned. Skip to bottom notes for a run-through if you choose not to read this chapter.

Hugo’s head was pounding as he came to. Every inch of his body was aching, from unbearably sore muscles to stinging, open gashes. At least he still had all his limbs.  _ Prayers answered _ , he supposed _. _ He wasn’t sure when he’d fallen unconscious or how long he’d been out. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been in that room. He could hardly even form a coherent thought, but he at least had the presence of mind to realize that he was alone. His captor must’ve left. For now.

Hugo shook himself awake. If this was potentially an opportunity for escape, he had to focus. Hugo considered his options. He had a small blade concealed in his arm piece. Now that his tormenter was out of sight, he might have the chance to cut himself free. But then what? He didn’t know where he was, let alone a way out of the building. And if he were to be caught… well, he doubted that would end well for him. On the off chance he did make it out, where would he go? The team had been due to leave that town before noon the day of his untimely kidnapping, and after how far he’d already pressed his luck with them, he was sure they were done waiting on him. Most likely, they were already on their way to the next trial. Hugo knew he’d need to get far away from this place if he managed to escape, but in his present condition? With a beady-eyed mad-scientist after his ass and the rest of his crew having already moved on? No. He wouldn’t make it to the next  _ street _ .

On the other hand, he could sit and wait for Donella to send her own people for him. But how long would that take? His next rendezvous with Donella wasn’t scheduled for another week after receiving this cursed assignment. That meant another week in this damned cell, not even counting the time it would take for her to confirm that he was in danger and orchestrate and execute a plan to retrieve him. That would take forever, and Hugo wasn’t so sure the guy he was dealing with was patient enough to drag this on until then.

Hugo had a lesser of two evils to choose from. He was about to elect for the safer play, when a decision was abruptly made for him.

In Hugo’s daze, he hadn’t noticed the tiny, mechanical creature which had stealthily crept into the room and begun gnawing at his binds. 

“Wait! No, don’t-” too late. His hands were freed by his “helpful’ assistant who looked up at him and twitched her nose in confusion at his protesting.

“Agh, Olivia! I was going to wait it out! Tie me back up!” he urged frantically.

Olivia only held up her paws, looking as exasperated as a mouse could be, as if to say “With these nubs? You’ve gotta be joking!”

Hugo slapped his face. If Mr. Wackadoo walked in now, he’d surely be screwed. This mouse might end up being the death of him, but he couldn’t stay mad at her. 

He sighed, “Ok, well I guess I’ve already got one foot in the grave at this point, so let’s just untie the rest and get the fuck out of here.”

Olivia nodded her head and got to work on the rope around his left leg while hugo sawed at the one on his right. After a few moments, Hugo was completely free, and he slowly stood up. He was a bit unbalanced, head spinning and blood suddenly rushing to his formerly bound limbs, but he managed to steady himself. 

“Let’s go,” he whispered, and headed for the door.

He tried the handle. Locked. Of course. Fortunately, some of the tools which had been used on him only minutes earlier could serve as suitable lock-picks, and after a few moments, the door was unlocked. 

Hugo pushed it open ever so slowly and checked to be sure the coast was clear before continuing. All he needed to do was find a window. Hugo may have been in bad shape, but he was sure he could manage climbing the rest of the way down from the outside if he had to.

He kept his pace brisk and quiet as Olivia scurried at his feet. He sent her around each corner before turning one himself to be sure he wasn’t about to encounter anyone. It was something they’d practiced plenty of times before, and made sneaking around easier than breathing, even in his currently damaged state. Miraculously, he managed to evade running into any guards at all until he began nearing what he assumed was the approximate location of the stairs, and therefore the only exit. He hadn’t spotted any windows except for a few small, barred ones which only allowed light to pass through. Of course they wouldn’t make it that easy on a prison floor.  _ Damn. _

“Ok. New plan,” he whispered to his companion as he leaned on the wall for support, “I’ll go back into my cell. You find an alarm at the other side of the building and set it off. It’ll send the guards running there. Then, I’ll make a run for the stairs and meet you at the nearest window on the next floor down, got it?”

He thought it was a solid plan, or at least the best one there was in this particular situation, and Olivia squeaked in agreement.

“Good. Here goes nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you skipped this chapter:  
> Hugo weighed his options between trying to escape and waiting for Donella. Poor boi assumes Varian and the gang would've left without him by now.  
> He was gonna stay put and wait for Don, but Olivia (also referred to as Cheese by some fans) showed up and chewed through his binds, forcing Hugo to go with the "escape" option.  
> He develops a course of action for escape and prepares to execute it.


	7. Almost There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hugo attempts to execute an escape plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the most (and last) violent chapter, and the only one in which the actual violence is described. Violence consists mainly of suffocation and broken bones. Skip to bottom notes for a run-through if you choose not to read this chapter.

The plan was working smoothly. Hugo had made it to his cell just as he heard the alarms begin to ring out. He closed the door and waited for the pounding of guards’ feet to pass him by before exiting again. As quickly as he could in his state, he sprinted for the stairs. Just as he’d hoped, the coast was clear, all guards having been drawn to the source of the alarm. He sped swiftly down the stairs to the floor below. Once there, he looked in every direction for a way out.

There. He spotted a window at the opposite end of one of the many lengthy halls. He was almost free, but he couldn’t drop his guard yet. He’d have to make a run for it.

Hugo paused to make sure he didn’t hear anyone approaching, and after a few moments of silence, he bolted.

Ignoring the shooting pain in his legs, and holding his side where an open wound bled out, he put one foot in front of the other as fast as possible, never taking his eyes off of the blue sky he was sprinting for. His exit was only meters away now, and Hugo allowed himself a sense of pride at what was shaping up to be a successful escape.

But that pride was shattered in an instant.

“I don’t think so,” bellowed a familiar and unnerving voice from behind just before he felt himself being yanked back by his shirt collar. The abruption had nearly caused him to fall flat on his back, and it only took a light shove to the stomach for the massive man to send Hugo’s fragile body doubled over on the ground. Hugo knelt there groaning over his aching torso.

_ Shit. Nothing could go well for him today, could it? _

“You think I’m gonna let you out of here with  _ my  _ formula? I worked hard to create it, you know. And I’m not about to let some  _ runt  _ take it from me.”

Hugo feebly attempted to get back up, only for his captor to bring fists the size of cinder blocks down on his head, sending him face-first back to the floor. Hugo could only manage to lift thin arms to shield his face before the man began raining harsh blows upon the boy, over and over. If Hugo’s poor torso hadn’t been completely purple and green already, he was sure it was now. Hugo was completely at the mercy of the beast of a man who now towered over him, relentlessly pummeling until he barely had the opportunity to breathe between strikes. He became especially worried when he began to taste blood rising into his mouth. 

A shrieking squeak was heard from above just before Hugo saw a tiny blur fly to Mr. Wackadoo’s face and begin clawing at beady eyes. Hugo’s brave little friend may have stood no chance against the hulking man, but it bought him enough time to crawl out from under his tormentor.

The man hollered, prying metallic paws from his eyelids and flinging the small creature across the room, which proceeded to slam into a wall, hard, and go still.

“Olivia!” Hugo panicked.

He couldn’t leave without her, but he had no choice but to crawl away as the man stomped towards him, shaking the very building beneath his feet. 

Hugo would not make it far. In no time, the man was upon him and the next thing Hugo knew, his skull was being driven into the hard concrete by a forcefully descending boot. He gasped in pain as his head spun. He was honestly surprised the impact hadn’t knocked him out entirely.

Hugo dizzily reached forwards in one last attempt to pull himself away from the merciless maniac, but the man only brought the same foot down on his outstretched hand, pressing until Hugo was screaming over the sound of breaking bones.

“You know, I was thinking I’d chop you into pieces and leave you at your boss’s doorstep once you  _ fessed  _ up,” he sneered darkly, and with an odd air of pride, said, “I think it’s important for a powerful man such as myself to make an example of scum like  _ you _ .”

Hugo barely comprehended the monologue, too consumed in the pain overtaking his entire body to listen. He whimpered, weakly moved his free hand to the ankle of the boot pinning his other down, and proceeded to shove at it to no avail.

The man only barked out a laugh, apparently amused.

“I  _ was  _ going to do that, anyways,” he continued, “But now you’re becoming more trouble than you’re worth.”

Still dazed, Hugo struggled to comprehend what was happening. In the midst of his confusion, he began to feel a pressure forming on his upper back. The pressure increased, and Hugo realized he was being compressed between his captor’s other foot and the cold ground. 

Hugo tried to wriggle free, but remained unsuccessful, as the air was forcefully expelled from his lungs. Several seconds passed, maybe minutes. Hugo couldn’t tell. 

All he knew was that he couldn’t breathe _. _

He couldn’t  _ breathe. He couldn’t breathe. _

He wanted to  _ scream _ , but couldn’t even manage to inhale enough to do so.

The man’s heel drove further and further down. Hugo didn’t know what would kill him first: suffocation or a snapped spine. 

Forming tears stung at his eyes. So this was it, then? He was going to die this way? 19, face down in the dirt, under the heel of some sick fuck’s boot, without so much as the freedom to scream? Hugo suddenly felt small and pathetic. 

There was no one around to take pity on him as his life was slowly drained away. No one would shed a tear. No one would even know a thing had happened for at least another week, when he failed to meet Donella. His life was going to be snuffed out in the same manner as that of a bug on pavement.

And no one would care.

Hugo’s vision was nearly blacked out now. At long last, he gave up the fight, letting heavy eyelids begin to drift shut. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THEN OUR BOI DIED FOR GOOD. THE END!  
> Ha ha, just kidding... unless? 👀
> 
> If you skipped this chapter:  
> Hugo attempted to escape but was caught by Mr. Wackadoo just before making it out. Mr. Wackadoo beats Hugo up and then starts to suffocate him to death. Olivia gets broken in the middle of this. Hugo, sadly, thinks to himself that no one would care if he died. In the last moments, Hugo gives up struggling and starts to let go.


	8. The Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hugo sees the light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No graphic violence here. Just some general fighting at this point. Hugo is obviously still injured and some of the effects of his injuries are described. As usual, skip to bottom notes for a run-through if you choose not to read this chapter.

Hugo had heard that one was meant to see a “bright light” at about this point, but he rather wasn’t expecting it to be an explosion.

The flash, which was intense even from behind closed eyelids, was accompanied by a loud  _ BANG, _ and Hugo felt a sudden relief from the crushing weight on his spine. Immediately, his chest heaved and wheezed for long needed intakes of air.

“I got him!” a chipper voice sounded from across the hall. Hugo knew that voice. __

_ Was that... Yong?  _ his hazy and oxygen-starved brain tried to process.

His vision was still spotty, but he tried to push himself up a bit to catch a glimpse of what was transpiring around him. He looked behind him where his tormenter once stood to find that the man in question now layed toppled over meters away. He noticed that the walls were covered in soot and burn-marks, and Mr.Wackadoo himself had small flames taking root on his hair and clothing.

The next thing he saw was a pair of purple heeled boots running past his head to tackle a large figure, presumably a guard, who’d just turned the corner onto the scene.  _ Nuru? _

Her victim hollered as she appeared to go absolutely berserk on him. Hugo almost took pity on the man currently having his hair tugged out by the hands of the enraged princess.

The next thing he felt was a pair of hands on his shoulders, setting him up from behind. 

“Hugo!” said the voice of the person to which those hands belonged.  _ Varian. _

“Hugo, are you ok?” 

Now propped up against the wall, Hugo tried to focus his swimming vision on the young man before him. He vaguely took note of the high-pitched shrieks of adult men and flying pyrotechnics still wreaking havoc in the background. 

“Hugo! Can you hear me?” Varian asked, looking Hugo up and down to take in his broken condition. 

_ Barely, _ Hugo thought. The commotion around him sounded as if it were occurring in another room, muffled by a wall, and all of that was accompanied by one massive headache.

Hugo meant to answer Varian, but he just couldn’t catch his breath. He tried to speak but only began coughing uncontrollably through a sore throat as he tasted more blood collecting in his mouth. He gasped for air once again.

Big, blue eyes were looking deep into his, brimming with concern. Hugo had thought he’d never see those eyes again, but there they were, and it made Hugo want to smile in spite of the immense pain he was in.

“Is he gonna be ok?” Yong entered Hugo’s view and knelt beside Varian. The boy's face was etched with worry, looking terrified at the state of Hugo. The thief felt a pang of guilt. Yong had told him just the other day that it scared him when Hugo got hurt, and that hadn’t stopped Hugo from going and getting himself into danger once again. Now, he was seeing the consequences of that decision. 

He’d let them all down, hadn’t he? Yong, Nuru, Varian. Why couldn’t he have listened to them? Why did he have to pull away and storm off into the night every time he felt like someone cared, just because he was afraid of caring in return? Just because he was afraid of being naive? Just because he was afraid of being abandoned the moment he let his guard down? Just because he was so pathetically afraid of everyone and everything? That was his own fault, but Varian, Nuru, and Yong were the ones paying the price. 

Hugo had been an  _ asshole. _ He’d yelled at Yong, insulted Nuru, and left Varian standing trapped in goop in the middle of the forest, all because  _ he  _ was such a disaster. And yet they were still there, risking their own lives to save his ass from a mess  _ he  _ made. And all the while, Hugo had been plotting to screw these people over since the beginning. For once, he allowed the guilt of it all to get to him. 

Hugo let a few long-overdue tears fall at last.

“We need to get him to a hospital,” Varian announced so that Nuru could hear as well, “and we need to hurry.”

Varian adjusted Hugo in preparation to stand up and carry him, and for some reason, just being in those arms gave Hugo the feeling that everything was going to be ok. 

But there was one more thing to take care of. Hugo lifted a shaky arm and gestured as best he could to his metal companion, who still lay motionless beside the wall.

“Oli-v-v-ia,” he groaned out. 

Varian followed Hugo’s gaze to the mouse in question and then looked back at him.

“We’ll take care of it,” he assured.

And with that, Hugo finally allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you skipped this chapter:  
> Hugo nearly dies but is saved last second by Yong, Nuru, and Varian. Mr. Wackadoo gets satisfyingly knocked out by an exploding firework. Nuru goes berserk on some bad guys. Hugo starts feeling guilty about how he let everyone down and worried them. Varian helps Hugo and decides Hugo needs to go to the hospital. Hugo asks them to bring a still broken Olivia with them before falling unconscious.


	9. Twinsies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's get some fluff up in dis hospital!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, you guys! Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through my first fic! ❤ It's been fun and I hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
> No violence. Only soft stuff now.  
> (Hip hip, hooray!)
> 
> This chapter also has at at the end. :)  
> In case anyone is curious, my Tumblr account is @humangeode and I post fanart on my blog, Dr. Organized-Mess.

Even before opening his eyes, Hugo could sense the alcohol scent of the hospital. He blinked them open slowly and scanned the room. As expected, he now lay slightly propped up on a hospital bed. Sunset lighting poured in through a window, casting long shadows across the tiled floor. He looked over his own body to discover himself wrapped up in countless bandages, even in places he hadn’t realized he’d been injured. One of his eyes wouldn’t quite open all the way, and he figured that if he had a mirror on him he’d see it was swollen and purple. 

Still, he felt much better than in his previous waking hours. The bed was soft, the secure blanket was comforting, and his unbroken hand felt… warm. Hugo’s gaze drifted to that hand to find that it was being held by a very tired looking Varian, who didn’t seem to realize that Hugo had awoken. Hugo curled his fingers ever so slightly to gain the boys attention, and Varian’s head snapped up to look at Hugo.

“You’re awake!” he perked up despite the dark lines under his eyes, “How are you feeling?”

Hugo felt like absolute shit, but instead of going into it, he just shrugged, immediately regretting the action when pain shot throughout his shoulder and back.

“Ow,” he squeezed his eyes shut and gently lowered his aching shoulders back down.

“Yeah, you’re probably not gonna want to move around for a while,” Varian advised, a bit too late to be helpful.

Hugo groaned, “Right...How bad is it?”

Varian sighed, “Well just about everything that _could_ be broken _is_ . I lost track when the doctor was explaining, but it was pretty much... broken hand, broken rib,” he began counting them off with his fingers, “punctured lung, fractured arm, leg, _and_ skull, not to mention a few dozen bruises and cuts, including a _particularly_ deep one on your side.” Varian’s face appeared more and more uncomfortable as the list went on, “She said you’d likely be here for at least a week, maybe longer.”

A _week?_ Surely it wouldn’t take _that_ long. _Dang it,_ they were _supposed_ to have left days ago already.

“What about the trials?” 

Hugo would’ve understood if the rest of the gang decided to replace him from this point on- he’d certainly caused them enough trouble. Anyone in their right mind would’ve ditched him long before. But then he remembered just what maniacs he was talking about, and realized he’d been proven wrong about their intentions too many times to be surprised when, against all logic, Varian said, “The trials aren’t going anywhere. We can wait.”

Hugo nodded, somehow only feeling worse for being such an inconvenience.

Then, something else occurred to him, “How did you find me anyways?”

Varian laughed before explaining, “Actually, I did what you said. I checked the bars, got talking to some of the patrons. There was this rumour going around that an infamous aristocrat in the area had concocted some kind of revolutionary new chemical formula. Some said it had healing properties, others said it was a toxic gas- that part wasn’t really clear- but we figured that if you had gotten yourself into trouble, that would be it.”

“Oh.”

Silence stretched between them. 

After several moments, Hugo finally spoke.

“I’m sorry,” he said solemnly.

He expected Varian would want an explanation of some sort, but instead the alchemist only made one simple request, “Please don’t go again.”

He’d said it sadly, like he was anticipating to be rejected.

Hugo supposed that meant he could’ve gotten away with doing just that. There was nothing any out of their group could _really_ do if Hugo was intent on sneaking off again. After all, Donella wouldn’t respond well to being denied…

But Donella could wait.

“I won’t,” he answered, and this time, he meant it.

Varian looked hopeful, the edge of his lip tilting up just barely, and Hugo knew he’d made the right decision for once. He returned the smile.

Just then, the door swung open, and Nuru and Yong approached, perking up just as Varian had when they saw their teammate wide awake.

“There he is! Back from the dead,” Nuru grinned. 

Hugo gave a smug look at that, ”Yeah, you’re not getting rid of me that easy.”

“You’re up!” Yong ran up and nearly bounded onto the bed before being held back by Varian and Nuru.

“Woah now!” Varian said hurriedly, “Let’s be gentle.” 

“Oops, sorry,” Yong refrained but still looked eager. He looked up at Hugo with pleading puppy-dog eyes, “Can I sit up there with you?”

Hugo would normally have said “no,” but this time, he found he actually didn’t mind the request.

“Sure,” he agreed.

“Yay!” Yong beamed, hopping onto the mattress and sitting himself cross-legged next to Hugo’s knees.

“We brought you something,” Hugo’s attention turned to Nuru, who extended a hand and opened her palm to reveal a tiny, golden trinket.

Hugo recognized it immediately, “Olivia!”

She was ok! He held out his own hand to allow the creature to scurry onto it and up his arm. Getting a closer look at her, he saw she was dressed up in a miniature hospital gown, accessorized by a tiny strip of bandage wrapped around her right ear. It was really rather adorable.

“Did you do this?”

Nuru nodded, “Yep, but it was Yong’s idea.”

“Mhm!,” Yong confirmed enthusiastically, “See! Now you two are matching!”

Olivia looked pleased with this and began showing off her makeshift outfit. Yep, she knew exactly how cute she was. Hugo chuckled and pet her head with his index finger. 

“She had an internal gear knocked out of place, and her ear was chipped, but nothing too difficult to fix,” Varian explained. 

Hugo looked apologetically at Olivia, who had taken such a hit just for him. Then, he switched his gaze to look Varian in the eyes.

“Thank you,” he said genuinely. 

Varian smiled, “Of course.”

It was then that the doctor came in. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are closing, and this patient is going to need plenty of rest,” she informed them.

The group looked disappointed, but agreed nonetheless.

“We understand, thank you,” Varian responded.

The alchemist then turned to Hugo, released his hand, and stood from his seat beside the bed.

“We’ll be back first thing tomorrow,” he promised.

Yong crawled up and hugged Hugo as tightly as he could without hurting him.

“See you soon!” 

And with that, the boy slid off the bed and took Varian’s hand.

Nuru placed a hand on Hugo’s shoulder.

“Goodnight, Hugo,” she bid kindly.

And the three of them walked out of the room.

After a few minutes of the doctor helping Hugo prepare for bed, she turned the lights off and left him to his own devices. It was just him and Olivia now.

The mouse scurried up his lap and nuzzled eagerly into the crook of his elbow- still filled with energy it seemed.

She looked up at her creator animatedly, as if to say, “Did you see the outfit! Did you see what they did!”

Those kids had clearly won the affection of this sprightly automaton.

“Yeah,” he whispered in secret to his friend in the dark, a soft smile still gracing his face, “I like them too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END  
> (for real this time)  
> Thank you for reading! 😁


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